Device for controlling the opening and closing of the cylinders of combustion engines



J. J. GENET DERS OF COMBUSTION ENGINES 8 8 3. a W 2/, 4 7 2 2 9 I s O 07 6 W MW 0 la g D 3 N A J m a I /-O 6 O E m G N I L L O Aprll 9, 1957DEVICE FOR CONTR OF THE CYLIN Original Filed April 22, 1955 INVENTOR"14mm. Lox-nouns ATTORNEY 2,787,988 Patented Apr. 9, 1957 DEVICE FORCONTROLLING THE OPENING AND CLOSING OF THE CYLINDERS OF COMBUSTIONENGINES Joseph Jean Genet, Paris, France Original application April 22,1953, Serial No. 350,429,

now Patent No. 2,745,395, dated May 15, 1956. Divided and thisapplication August 18, 1955, Serial No. 529,245

4 Claims. (Cl. 123-80) The present invention relates to an internalcombustion engine and more particularly to a device for closing andopening the inlet and exhaust ports of the cylinder of an internalcombustion engine.

The present application is a division of co-pending application SerialNo. 350,429, filed April 22, 1953, now Patent No. 2,745,395, entitledDevice for Controlling the Opening and Closing of the Cylinders ofCombustion Engines.

The device according to the invention is essentially characterized bythe fact that it comprises a housing which opens into the chamber of thecylinder and inside which is mounted a valve of spherical shape, whichis adapted to be driven, in any suitable manner, with a continuousrotary movement synchronized with that of the engine, and in which areprovided ducts which place the cylinder selectively and successively incommunication with the inlet and the exhaust of the engine during apredetermined angle of rotation, the fluid-tightness of the closure ofthe cylinder being obtained by the combination of the use of thespherical shape of the valve with the use of packing rings inserted ingrooves provided in the portion of the housing which is secured to thecylinder head.

An object of the present invention is to provide a rotary valve actuatedby a shaft which is secured thereto and which is adapted to rest onsuitable recesses which form bearings and which are provided in thehousing along the axis of rotation of the valve.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a spherical typeof distributor valve rotating inside a housing constituted by at leasttwo parts, one of which is integral with the engine head and the fluidtightness of which is insured by means of sealing rings placedconcentrically in relation to the communication orifice of the enginecylinder within grooves formed in the part of the housing integral withthe head.

Other objects and the nature and advantages of the instant inventionwill be apparent from the following description taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an axial longitudinal section of the rotary valve embodied inthe present invention for use in an air-cooled single cylinder engine;

Fig. 2 is a section taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken along the line 33 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the rotary valve illustrated in Fig. 1.

Referring now to Figs. 1-4, the rotary valve embodied in the presentinvention is illustrated, showing in particular the special design ofthe inlet and exhaust ducts. According to the embodiment shown by way ofexample in the drawings, the rotary valve is a metallic mass andcomprises a spherical part 1a and a cylindrically shaped extension 1b,the whole rotating within a two-part housmg 2a and 2b, one part 2a beingintegral wlth a cylinder 8. It is in this latter part of the housingthat are provided the grooves 4 containing the rings 3 concentric withthe communication orifice 7. An exhaust duct 10, which, in the exampleshown, is cylindrical and rectilinear, is arranged in a planeperpendicular to the axis of rotation XX of the rotary valve; it allowsthe cylinder 8 to be connected with the exhaust duct 10, through thecommunication orifice 7 provided in the cylinder 8. In the exampleshown, this connection with the exhaust takes place when the exhaustduct 9 is in the YY' axis of the cylinder 8, the said condition beingrealized when the axis of rotation of the rotary valve is perpendicularto the axis YY' of the cylinder 8 and intersects the extension of thesaid axis. By this specific arrangement, the cylinder 8 is put incommunication with the fixed exhaust duct 10 twice for each completerotation of the distributor and so that the distribution is eflected fortwo engine cycles.

In view of this last consequence, there are provided in the body of therotary valve two preferably rectilinear and cylindrical inlet ducts 11aand 11b which are arranged symmetrically in relation to the axis ofrotation XX of the distributor and offset at an angle of one withrespect to the other. Two of the ends 13a and 13b of the said ductsissue along the great circle of the sphere 1a, which is contained in aplane perpendicular to the axis of rotation XX and along which alsoissue the openings of the exhaust duct 9, the spaces between theopenings of the exhaust ducts and the inlet ducts being determined interms of the engine setting. The other ends 14a and 14b of the ducts 11aand 11b issue into ducts 15a and 15b provided in the cylindrical partit: of the rotary valve, symmetrically relative to the axis of rotationXX. The said ducts 15a and 1512 during the rotation of the rotary valve,come successively opposite the fixed inlet orifice 16. The object ofthis latter arrangement is to render the sperical rotary valve morefluid-tight due to the fact that only one of the ends of the ducts 11aand 11b is situated in the spherical part 1a. 7

The section of the ducts, both exhaust and inlet, is preferablycircular. The diameter thereof is determined by the conditions ofadjustment of the engine and, in particular, of the period of time fixedfor the inlet and the exhaust. The said ducts may have an oblong sectionif the adjustment conditions of the engine cannot be carried out with acircular section.

It will at once be seen that when the rotary valve is continuouslyrotated about its axis XX, it places the cylinder 8 twice'per rotationsuccessively in communication with the inlet orifice 16 and the exhaustduct 10 of the engine, through the orifice 7 of the duct 9 and the ducts11a and 11b.

The result is that, for an explosion engine operating on a four-strokecycle, it is suificient to rotate the rotary valve at a quarter of thespeed of rotation of the engine crankshaft. For an engine operating on atwo-stroke cycle, the rotary valve must rotate half as rapidly as theengine crankshaft.

Moreover, it is obvious that if, for the clearness of the description,there has been described and shown a rotary valve for a single cylinderengine, the invention applies just as well and with the same advantagesto multi-cylinder engines.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes maybe made without departing from the spirit of the invention and,therefore, the invention is not limited to what is shown in the drawingsand described in the specification, but only as indicated in theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a rotary distributor for an internal combustion engine of theknown type having a rotating shaft, a spherical-shaped distributor bodydisposed within a housing having a fixed exhaust duct and a fixed inletduct, an orifice formed in said housing and communicating with theenginecylinder, in which rotary distributor the distributor body isrotatable in a continuous movement synchronized with the rotarymovementof the engine shaft, said distributor body having an exhaust 'ductarranged perpendicularly to the axis of rotation of said distributorbody, the centers of both ends of said exhaust duct being located in aplane extending through said spherical-shaped body and adapted tocause'said orifice and end of the fixed exhaust duct to communicate, twoinlet ducts formed in said distributor body arranged symmetricallyrelative to the axis of rotation of said distributor body and olfset onewith respect to the other by an angle of 180, the center of one of theends of each of said inlet ducts lying ina plane which includes thecenters of both ends of the exhaust duct of said distributor body andoffset relative to the ends of said e'xhaust duct, the center of theother end of each of said inlet ducts disposed in a plane parallel withsaid plane which includes the centers of both ends of said exhaust duct,so that it causes communication between said orifice and the fixed inletduct, said inlet and exhaust ducts of the distributor body placing thecylinder" of the motor selectively and alternately in communication withthe fixed exhaust duct on the one hand and with the fixed inlet duct onthe other hand by means of the orifice communicating with the enginecylinder.

2. In a rotary distributor for an internal combustion engine of theknown type having a rotating shaft, a spheri cal-shaped distributor bodydisposed within a housing having a fixed exhaust duct and a fixed inletduct, "an orifice formed in said housing and communicating with theengine cylinder, in which rotary distributor the distributor body isrotatable in a continuous movement synchronized with the rotary movementof the engine shaft, said distributor body having a spherical portionand a cylindrical extension, said spherical portion having a rectilinearexhaust duct formed therein and arranged perpendicularly to the axis ofrotation of said distributor body, the centers of both ends of saidexhaust duct being located in a plane extending through said sphericalportion and adapted to cause said orifice and an end of the fixedexhaust duct to communicate, said distributor body having tworectilinear inlet ducts formed therein and arranged symmetricallyrelative tothe axis of rotation of said distributor body and ofiset onewith respect to the other by an angle of 180, the center of one of theends of each of said inlet ducts lying in a plane which includes thecenters of both ends of said exhaust duct formed in said sphericalportion of said distributor body and offset relative to the ends of saidexhaust duct, the

center of the other end of each of said inlet ducts communicating withan inlet conduit located in a plane extending through said cylindricalextension and arranged perpendicularly to the axis of rotation of saiddistributor body, said inlet conduit being adapted to communicate withsaid fixed inlet duct, so that it causes communication between saidorifice and the fixed inlet duct, said inlet and exhaust ducts of thedistributor body placing the cylinder of the motor selectively andalternately in communication with the fixed exhaust duct on the one handand with the fixed inlet duct on the other hand by means of the" orifice"communicating with the engine cylinder. A

3. In a valve, a housing having a communication orifice formed therein,a rotary member disposed in said housing having a spherical portion anda cylindrical extension, said spherical portion having a rectilinearexhaust duct formed therein and arranged perpendicularly to the axis ofrotation of said rotary member, the ends of said exhaust duct beinglocated along the periphery of said spherical portion and adapted tocommunicate with said communication orifice, said rotary member havinginlet ducts formed therein and arranged symmetrically with respect tothe axis of rotation of said rotary member; eachof said'inlet ductshaving the center of one end lying in'a plane whichincludes the centersof the ends of said exhaust duct of said spherical portion and offsetrelative to the ends of said exhaust duct and adapted to communicatewith said communication orifice, the center of the other end of each ofsaid inlet ducts communicating with an inlet conduit the axis of whichis located'in a' plane extending through said cylindrical extension andarranged perpendicularly to the axis of rotation of saidrotary memher,said inlet conduit being adapted to communicate'with a fixed inletorifice, whereupon rotation of said rotary member causes successivecommunication of'said inlet conduit with said inlet orifice andthereafter affording successive communication of said inlet ducts andexhaust duct with said communication orifice.

4. Device according to claim 1, in which the distributor body comprisesa spherical-shaped part and a cylindrical extension in which is arrangedone of the ends of each of the inlet ducts. i

References Cited in the file of this patent unrrno STATES PATENTS298,063 Bogert May 6, 1884 1,128,757 Chandler Feb. 16, 1915 1,808,671Luyckx June 2, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS 454,938 France May 8, i913

